Fainting Couch Revival

Andrea S
by Andrea S
$150
3 Days
Advanced
My friend got rid of a fainting couch because the leather was cracked and chipped and the legs were falling off. I thought I could repair the leather but when I picked it up I saw that it was fake leather. I decided to reupholster it with vinyl so it can be wiped with soap and water.
Before
The couch before repair. I liked the shape of it and thought it was worth it to get it fixed up.
Removing the million staples took about a day.
I used the original fabric as template and cut the pieces exactly as they were, so I didn't have to measure and test the fit.
I noted the order that the pieces were put on and I replaced the material in the same order.
I used a staple gun to put on the pieces. The hardest part was the curved top back because the material stretches very little.
I reused what I could. The carboard strip was still usable so I put it back to get a straight line on the back.
The bottom dust cover came off pretty intact. I washed it before I put it back to cover up the bottom. I found 3 of the leg metal threads inside rolling around. I just had to get one more to get the legs fixed. The upholstery store owner gave me the one piece for free.
These are the back legs. Standard wood legs since they are not seen. The front legs are bigger and more detailed.
I lightly sanded all the wood parts before painting. It had an ugly scroll pattern, which I filled with wood filler and sanded smooth. I didn't want fancy pattern since I picked a more modern geometric pattern on the upholstery material.
First coat of paint was coffee brown.
Second coat of paint was a faint pink craft paint. I bought it to paint some rattan chairs but never got around to do it. I wanted to have some colour showing once the pieces are distressed. Third coat of paint is white.
Before the paint dried, I wiped it with a dry cloth to distress it. I sanded the edges a bit.
I will add a metal embellishment to cover the screw heads on the arm.


I was concerned that the material would be cut by the sewing machine needle if I put in the zipper on the seat, that I decided to use a heavy duty double sided tape to close it. I wrapped the seat like a present and I just closed it with tape. The vinyl can be wiped with soap and water, it will never have to be removed for washing. If the material gets too worn, I can just recover is again. The original lasted more than a decade, I think this material will last at least as long since we don't sit on it every day like the previous owners did.
Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Roxanne Renicker Roxanne Renicker on Jan 21, 2017
    You mentioned you originally thought it was leather and you could repair it. How does one repair leather? (Real leather is my problem and I need to fix it)
  • Marcellemullen Marcellemullen on Oct 04, 2018

    Is there any way to fix a burn mark in the leather?

  • Jana Jana on Mar 16, 2019

    How can I stretch a fabric over chair seats so it will go on without wrinkles ?

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